Why?

When Mark and I (Nick) met, one of the first things we talked about was how it's all too easy to end up not doing what you really want to do. Each day slips away, decisions are short term; what am I going to eat tonight, can I get to that party on Friday, when's my next pay packet. It makes sense - complete sense, because of the world we live in. But so many of us want to do more. Much more. Many of us are worried about environmental problems, or excited about eco-solutions, but really don't know where to start. And many others are already doing wonderful things that it would be just great to hear about.

Bringing like-minded people together...

So we set up Project Dirt. At its simplest Project Dirt provides a platform where like-minded people can interact. We knew loads of cool people, doing really great stuff in the environmental arena... and wanted them to meet each other. So we've spent the last year or so getting out and about in our neighbourhood, finding out what's going down locally, and telling our mates all about it.

We've even managed to rope our girlfriends in!

...to make environmental change happen

And the really great part is that all those people have brought their talent, knowledge, stamina, beliefs and desires into the fray, and are now telling each other what they've been up to.  The genius is that each person is unique - and that means everyone has something to offer.

It seems as though there's been a change in pace and excitement locally about getting stuck in. We've been thinking about how to convert this energy into really tangible action. Mark and I get out and about as much as we can to get our "hands dirty"; there's nothing more we like than a good dig, or a river clean-up!

But we're also focusing on developing online tools to make it easier for people to manage their activities and get their environmental goals achieved. And of course to tell each other what works best in what situations.

So what are we doing with Project Dirt?

We're not preaching a message, we're improving information links. We're not another forum; we're setting up a projects-based network, encouraging real-world tangible activity.

We're enthusiastic about what can be done, optimistic and determined to provide a good service. We have belief in people, in their ability to make things happen. We believe real and permanent change can be achieved through information sharing and application.

So far, we've supported several groups to get started from composting networks to Transition Towns. And we're kicking off some exciting projects of our own, including whole-town level lightbulb replacement, community-scale waste reduction projects and, potentially, a wood recycling social enterprise.

Come and join us - we're having a lot of fun whilst getting stuff done!